__NOTOC__ The Kuki Rebellion or Anglo-Kuki War, was one of the major tribal revolts during the

British colonial rule The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establish ...

in India. It was a

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

by the

Kuki tribes The Kuki people, or Kuki-Zo people,Rakhi BoseIn Tense Manipur, Sub-Categorisation And 'Creamy Layer' Could Open A Pandora's Box Outlook, 11 September 2024. uoting general secretary of the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), Kangpokpi''At prese ...

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

, ostensibly to resist their forcible recruitment into labour corps for the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. From a wider historical perspective, it can also be read as a response to the colonial intrusion into Kuki livelihoods, with new forms of economic relations and land policies, as well as the declining authority of Kuki chiefs. The British suppressed the rebellion after two years of fighting, burning 126 villages, destruction of food-stocks, and killing and maiming many of the Kuki community. During 2017–2019, the Kuki community of Manipur arranged centennial commemorations for the event at multiple locations in Manipur. Their celebration of the event as a "war" came into contestation by the Meitei and

Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions ** Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong River ** Naga, another name for Bakunawa, an ...

communities of Manipur.

Disputes on terminology

Several

groups of Manipur opposed the term "Anglo Kuki War", holding that the conflict between the British and the Kukis was a "rebellion" as mentioned in British records, rather than a war. They requested the

Government of Manipur The Government of Manipur (; /mə.ni.pur lə́i.ŋak/), also known as the State Government of Manipur, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Manipur and its 16 districts. It consists of an ex ...

to stop the commemoration events of the "Anglo-Kuki War"''. In October 2019, the Meitei civil society organisation

Federation of Haomee The Federation of Haomee is a Meitei-led civil society organisation based in the Imphal Valley of Manipur, India. In addition to Meiteis, it has participation from some Naga groups. The organisation claims to campaign for the rights of the "ind ...

sent a memorandum to Union home minister

Amit Shah Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 32nd Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Minister of Home Affairs since May 2019 and the 1st Ministry of Co-operation, Minister of Co-operat ...

, and claimed that Shah had supported their demands. Subsequently the Manipur Government ordered the destruction of all the recently erected centenary monuments mentioning "Anglo-Kuki War". In 2020, a monolith that mentioned "Anglo-Kuki War" was forced to change it to "Kuki Rising". In August 2023, in the midst of unprecedented

ethnic violence An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more ethnic groups. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic group's position within so ...

in the state of Manipur that has seen over 50,000 people displaced, Federation of Haomee has registered two FIRs against authors that have written books mentioning "Anglo-Kuki War". Retired colonel Vijay Chenji, who wrote a book titled ''The Anglo-Kuki War 1917-1919,'' JNU academics Jangkhomang Guite and Thongkholal Haokip, who edited a volume titled ''The Anglo- Kuki War, 1917-1919: A Frontier Uprising against Imperialism during the First World War,'' were accused under section 120/121/123/153-A/200/120-8 of

IPC IPC may refer to: Businesses and organizations Arts and media * Intellectual Property Committee, a coalition of US corporations with intellectual property interests * International Panorama Council, an international network of specialists in ...

. The complaint claimed that there was no Anglo-Kuki War in Manipur's history and the authors had lied.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * ** * * ** ** * {{citation , title=History of the Assam Rifles , first=Colonel L. W. , last=Shakespear , publisher=Macmillan And Co , location=London , year=1929 , url=https://archive.org/details/dli.pahar.2395 , via=archive.org , ref={{sfnref, Shakespear, History of the Assam Rifles, 1929 Rebellions in India Political uprisings in India Kuki people History of Manipur

Disputes on terminology

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography